crossover

1 of 3

noun

cross·​over ˈkrȯs-ˌō-vər 

1

: crossing sense 2a

2

: an instance or product of genetic crossing-over

3

: a voter registered as a member of one political party who votes in the primary of the other party

4

: a broadening of the popular appeal of an artist (such as a musician) that is often the result of a change of the artist's medium or style

also : an artist or artistic work that has achieved a crossover

5

: an instance of breaking into another category

6

: a basketball maneuver in which a player dribbles the ball quickly from one hand to the other

7

or crossover SUV : an automotive vehicle that is similar to a sport utility vehicle but built on a car chassis : cuv

What makes crossovers attractive is that most combine the look of an SUV with the more civilized driving characteristics of a car.

—Jonathan Welch

crossover

2 of 3

adjective

1

: having two pieces that cross especially one over the other

a crossover vest

2

: critical sense 2

the crossover point

cross over

3 of 3

verb

crossed over; crossing over; crosses over

intransitive verb

: to reach a broader audience by a change of medium or style

a country singer crossing over to the pop charts

Examples of crossover in a Sentence

Noun

The actor made a smooth crossover to politics.

a rock musician's crossovers into jazz and soul music

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

When the primary was held in mid-May, only Republican voters - or unaffiliated voters who opted for a GOP ballot - were eligible to weigh in, precluding Cassidy from benefitting from crossover support. —Eric McDaniel, NPR, 30 May 2026

In the same way that content-creation machines and gaming laptops saw lots of crossover in the late 2010s/early 2020s, hardware that works well for two camps (gaming and AI) will once again feature across some new models. —John Burek, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026

Adjective

From the sticky-sweet lyrics to the colorfully choreographed music video, the song catapulted the already massively popular group to new levels of crossover American success. —Tetris Kelly, Billboard, 10 Sep. 2024

Police believe an eastbound semi was doing a U-turn through the crossover because of a closure caused by the earlier crash. —Justin L. MacK, The Indianapolis Star, 24 May 2020

Verb

As kids get older, this transparency can cross over into talking honestly about social situations, financial decisions, or household values and responsibilities. —Dina Gachman, Parents, 30 May 2026

In 2024, Poland said a Russian cruise missile entered its airspace for 39 seconds, and the next year Estonia said three Russian MiG-31 fighter planes crossed over into its territory for around four minutes. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 29 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1914, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1893, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1973, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing crossover

• crossover SUV

Rhymes for crossover

• carryover
• changeover
• cutover
• flashover
• hangover
• holdover
• layover
• leftover
• makeover
• moreover
• passover
• pullover

Kids Definition

crossover

noun

cross·​over

ˈkrȯ-ˌsō-vər

: an instance or product of genetic crossing-over

Medical Definition

crossover

1 of 2 noun

cross·​over ˈkrȯ-ˌsō-vər 

1

: an instance or product of genetic crossing-over

2

: a crossover interchange in an experiment

crossover

2 of 2 adjective

: involving or using interchange of the control group and the experimental group during the course of an experiment

an open-label crossover study